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Deflated conservatives eye new tactics in Planned Parenthood fight

Conservative Republicans are disappointed that the government funding bill does not defund Planned Parenthood, but say they are looking for compromise on the issue going forward.

The $1.1 trillion spending bill coming up for a vote in the House on Friday leaves Planned Parenthood funding untouched. Cutting the funding would have been a deal-breaker for Democrats, but that is cold comfort for the conservatives who fought against the group this year.

But Planned Parenthood is no longer at the forefront of the political debate, having been overtaken by terrorism, mass shootings and the presidential race.

In the omnibus debate, the Freedom Caucus had pushed for giving states the ability to cut off funding for Planned Parenthood if they chose, calling it a compromise.

The Freedom Caucus and Pro-Life Caucus also pushed for language in the omnibus known as the Abortion Non-Discrimination Act (ANDA) that would provide protections for organizations that have conscience objections to covering abortions in their insurance plans. A third request was to cut off funding to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), an entity that conservatives say supports China’s “coercive birth limitation policy.”

Despite the effort by conservatives to moderate their demands, none of those three provisions were included in the omnibus, though it does include a 7 percent cut to UNFPA funding.

“We had three very reasonable asks on just some of the more no-brainer ideas,” said Rep. Dave Brat (R-Va.), a member of the Freedom Caucus.

Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) lamented the lack of the ANDA language in the spending bill.

“The conscience protection, it’s who we are as Americans,” Meadows said, calling the lack of that provision the “biggest disappointment.”

However, unlike in the fall, conservatives are generally not lashing out at leadership, noting that even though they don’t like the result, the process was inclusive.

Meadows said as recently as Thursday morning that his chief of staff had talked to Ryan’s chief of staff about the omnibus.

“That open dialogue is to be applauded, regardless of where the answer is, whether you like the answer or not, at least there's a give and take,” Meadows said.

Ryan pushed to include the conscience protection language in the omnibus, but Democrats rejected the effort.

Groups opposed to abortion rights say the Abortion Non-Discrimination Act bill will be a priority next year.

Meanwhile, conservatives are indicating they are open to smaller victories on Planned Parenthood, even if full defunding of the group remains out of reach.

“Any reasonable compromise that just starts moving us in the right direction is good,” Brat said.

Brat added that he hopes there is a return to “regular order” on legislation next year — a priority of Ryan’s that would empower committee chairmen — that would at least guarantee an up-or-down vote on a Planned Parenthood defunding amendment to the health spending bill.

“Debate it on the floor, have an up or down vote and see where you stand,” he said.

Asked about funding for Planned Parenthood, Meadows said, “That particular issue is one that is certainly on the radar and a priority, but there are a number of other factors that will be in that agenda that we want to accomplish, where perhaps that's not the single sticking point.”

“This is a 40-year debate,” he said. “So I don't know that it's going to get solved in the first quarter of 2016.”

Ryan, for his part, is pointing to the fast-track reconciliation bill when asked why Planned Parenthood defunding is not in the omnibus.

“It's in the reconciliation bill. The reconciliation bill was the vehicle we chose long ago. We could get that through the Senate. We knew we couldn't get it through the Senate in any other way,” he said.

He said the measure would pass the House and be sent to President Obama the first week of 2016. The president is expected to veto it.

Meanwhile, the special committee House Republicans set up this year to investigate Planned Parenthood is still around, and is in the process of hiring staff.